Even before Cat Dang Ton `22 traveled to Grinnell from the bustling city of Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam, she already knew one of her main interests –– death and dying.  

Ton thought she would study the topic by majoring in philosophy and political science, but she eventually found her passion in sociology. She delved into the subject of death and dying by interning at a funeral home, analyzing racial inequalities present in newspaper obituaries during the COVID-19 pandemic for a Mentored Advance Project (MAP) and pursuing an independent study of the politics of mourning and death among marginalized groups. 

Initially, Ton had no idea what sociology entailed, but she now hopes to pursue graduate work in the subject.  

“[The graduate school] should be in some place where I could do some mixed methods like research training. And I could do some research related to death and dying and things like that, because that’s been my area of interest since before coming into college,” she said. 

Ton originally decided to come to Grinnell College because she wanted to attend a rigorous liberal arts school with a non-competitive academic environment.  

Her high school was very competitive as many of her peers also wanted to study internationally. When she arrived at Grinnell as a first year, it was not only her first time in Iowa but also in the United States. She was amazed by the open green space in Iowa, which was very different from the crowded city where she grew up. Contrary to many students who arrive in Grinnell for the first time in the brutal August humidity, Ton enjoyed the weather.  

But then the heat subsided, and winter appeared. Ton had never experienced snow before, and she ecstatically ran outside when she saw her first snowfall. She wanted to fully immerse herself in the snow, and her excitement led her to accidentally licking snow off of a trash can.  

“I got so excited. I was like, screaming and I ran outside of the JRC, because I was in D-Hall. I ran outside of the JRC and saw like just a little pile of snow on what turned out to be trash cans because I put my tongue on it and was like ‘oh no, this a trash can.’” 

Eventually, the thrill of snow lessened as Ton acclimated to the Iowa winter and she involved herself in another Iowan activity –– political organizing. In her second year she volunteered for the Bernie Sanders campaign in which she organized events, phone banked and canvased.  

Ton knew that these activities would be out of her comfort zone as she considers herself on the shy side, but she was invested in the campaign and wanted to learn. Ton gives credit to the experiences at Grinnell which pushed her out of her comfort zone for giving her an unexpected boost in confidence. 

However, throughout her work on the campaign, she was worried that voters would figure out that she was not a U.S. citizen. “I had concerns about potentially revealing my foreigner status and what that would elicit in town because it was a pretty tense political moment,” she said. Although Ton could not vote in the election, she still attended the caucus as an observer.  

I got so excited. I was like, screaming and I ran outside of the JRC, because I was in D-Hall. I ran outside of the JRC and saw like just a little pile of snow on what turned out to be trash cans because I put my tongue on it and was like ‘oh no, this a trash can.’ – Cat Dang Ton `22

When asked to look back at her time at Grinnell College and what she would have done differently, Ton’s response was stressing less about school.  

“I would have liked to have not worried so much about grades, homework, going to classes and stuff and spent more time with friends,” she said. In addition to wishing she had spent more of her time with friends, Ton has another regret that stems from this year’s changes in the Dining Hall’s food selection.  

“Oh my gosh I can’t have stir fry any more. I didn’t know we would lose access to stir fry or else, you know, I would have stayed in line more,” Ton laughed.